Technical Field
The following disclosure relates to a conveyor configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path and to an image recording apparatus including the conveyor and configured to perform image recording on the sheet.
Description of the Related Art
There is known a conveyor configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path. An image recording apparatus for performing image recording on a sheet is one example of an apparatus including the conveyor. The image recording apparatus includes a plurality of driven members which are driven by a motor. Examples of the driven members include rollers. The rollers are rotated to convey the sheet.
To reduce the size and cost of the image recording apparatus, a smaller number of motors are preferably provided in the image recording apparatus. That is, the driven members provided in the image recording apparatus are preferably driven by the same motor. Also, recently expanding functionality of the image recording apparatus increases a demand of a construction in which in the case where some of the driven members are driven, the other driven members are driven or stopped. For example, there is a demand of a construction in which in the case where some of a plurality of rollers are rotated forwardly, the other rollers are rotated reversely, and a construction in which in the case where some of the rollers are rotated, the other rollers are stopped.
One example of such an image recording apparatus includes: an output roller for conveying a sheet to an output tray after image recording on the sheet by a recorder; and a conveying roller for conveying the sheet to the recorder. The image recording apparatus includes: first and second power transmitters for transmitting power produced by a motor from the conveying roller to the output roller; and a switcher that selectively allows or disallows the power transmission from the motor to the second power transmitter. The first power transmitter includes the one-way clutch and thereby transmits only forward rotation of the motor from the conveying roller to the output roller. The second power transmitter includes: a planetary gear mechanism constituted by a sun gear and a planetary gear; and a transmission gear and thereby transmits only reverse rotation of the motor from the conveying roller to the output roller. That is, upon the reverse rotation of the conveying roller, the planetary gear is engaged with the transmission gear in the second power transmitter, and upon the forward rotation of the conveying roller, the planetary gear is moved off and away from the transmission gear in the second power transmitter. In the image recording apparatus constructed as described above, the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter can transmit the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the motor from the conveying roller to the output roller, while the switcher can interrupt the power transmission from the motor to the second power transmitter to stop the output roller while rotating the conveying roller.